During a special ceremony at 6 a.m., the hospital celebrated the opening with a flag-raising, the singing of the National Anthem, a blessing for the hospital, its staff and clinicians and brief comments to commemorate the monumental occasion. At 7 a.m., the hospital officially opened its doors to patients.

“We are honored to care for our patients from Greeley and Weld County and excited to expand the care we offer in this community to a whole new level,” said UCHealth Greeley Hospital President Marilyn Schock.

The four-story, 212,000-square-foot hospital at 6767 W. 29th St. includes 50 inpatient beds with room to grow. Specialty services include:

UCHealth Greeley Hospital

A birth center with special care nursery.

Intensive care unit.

Acute care unit.

Operating and endoscopy rooms.

A catheterization lab.

Level III trauma center.

Emergency department.

24/7 retail pharmacy, imaging and laboratory services.

“No detail has gone unnoticed,” Schock said. “We thoughtfully designed and planned this facility and our processes to provide excellent and efficient care for our patients, and I’m confident we’ll be able to provide the very best experience.”

UCHealth staff celebrate the opening of the Greeley Hospital on July 3, 2019.

Approximately 400 employees are on staff to care for patients, guests and the facility. They are joined by hundreds of physicians and advanced practice professionals who will be caring for patients at the facility as well.

Many patients living in Greeley and Weld County have been traveling to other UCHealth hospitals in Loveland, Fort Collins or Aurora for care. Now they have more options for advanced care close to home.

“We want our patients in this growing area of the state to have access to the very best medical care without having to go far from home,” said UCHealth President and CEO Elizabeth Concordia. “With improved access to advanced treatments and nationally-recognized specialists, we are making health care more convenient and effective, and helping people continue living their extraordinary lives.”

UCHealth Greeley Hospital staff celebrate just before the hospital opens its doors to the first patients early morning on July 3, 2019.

The opening of Greeley Hospital comes just two days after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued the hospital a license to operate. UCHealth officials look forward to working with the health department, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission in the upcoming months on a federal certification process, which would allow the hospital to care for Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare patients.

UCHealth Greeley Hospital emergency room nurse prepares for the opening of the Greeley Hospital on July 3, 2019.

Just east of the hospital is UCHealth Greeley Medical Center, a multispecialty outpatient facility that opened at the end of April. UCHealth providers based at the center – ranging in specialties from rehabilitation and primary care to heart care and pulmonology – are already regularly caring for more than 400 patients a day.

Dr. Daniel Zenk, a UCHealth internal medicine physician who has been caring for patients in Greeley for almost 25 years, is thrilled to be caring for patients at the new center and has been looking forward to the hospital opening. “This was a big vision, and it’s coming together beautifully,” he said. “Having all of these services and resources together on one campus is wonderful for our patients.”